Tulip Museum

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum shows the history of tulips from their appearance in Central Asia to their introduction to the Netherlands.

In the second half of the 16th century, tulips first became a collector’s item and later a trade commodity. This period came to be known as Tulipmania.

A real trade in tulip bulbs was born, where the most passionate collectors were willing to pay thousands of guilders to get what they were looking for. One Dutch buyer, for example, was prepared to pay the enormous sum of 4600 guilders and two horses to obtain a bulb of the prestigious ‘Semper Augustus’ tulip.

Clearly, this market also lent itself to a series of speculations that became so blatant that the government was forced to regulate the market, putting an end to the tulip bubble, a more or less legal money spinner.

If you are a tulip fan, don’t miss a stroll through the Bloemenmarkt (the flower market along the Singel canal) and a day trip to the beautiful Keukenhof Park.

Visit the museum

The Amsterdam Tulip Museum was opened in 2004 and in 2012 it was moved along the Prinsengracht to number 116, in the Jordaan district, right next to the Cheese Museum, another great Dutch product known the world over. The interior design, consisting of more than 2000 square metres of floor space, was supervised by the well-known architect Nezu Aymo.

The idea of the project was to make the environment attractive to the visitor by exploiting the collaboration and creativity of local artists, filmmakers and craftsmen. The museum has seven galleries, as well as a theatre and a shop. Through artefacts, short films and works of art, the history of the tulip over the centuries and its spread in the Netherlands is illustrated.

A visit to the tulip museum in Amsterdam takes 20 to 25 minutes for those who simply want to get an idea of the history of tulips. For those who do not want to miss a single nuance, the average duration of the visit is about one hour. There are smaller and larger interconnected rooms, which show

• The origin of tulips and their original environment.
• Tulips at the time of the Ottoman Empire and their journey to the Netherlands.
• The tulip trade during the 16th and 17th centuries, Tulipmania and the collapse.
• The growth of tulips in the past and today

It can often happen that the whole city is involved in the Museum’s initiatives. For example, in 2010 a tulip event lasting several days was organised, involving no less than 18 different locations in the city, where different varieties of tulips were displayed at the same time.

The museum shop

In the museum shop, bulbs of tulips and other flowers such as delias and hyacinths can be purchased. In addition, the shop offers books on the subject, as well as souvenirs and art objects decorated with pictures of tulips.

Tickets for the Tulip Museum

Admission is charged but there are reductions for students, while families of three or more pay a fixed-price ticket.

Free entry with Amsterdam cards

In addition, if you have purchased an Amsterdam city card, be it the I Amsterdam City Card or the Amsterdam GoCity Pass, you are entitled to free admission to the Tulip Museum.

How to get to the Tulip Museum

From the main station you can reach it with tram lines 13 and 17, getting off at Westerkerk. Opening hours are from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The museum is open every day except 27 April, King’s Day, and Christmas Day.